Display device



May 26, 1942. H. BARRY DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 26, 1940 ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1942 I NITED STATES PATE T :oFFl c-E DISPLAY DEVICE Howard Barry, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application June 26, 1940, Serial no. 342,420

' 3 Claims. (01. 40- 142) v The present invention deals with display signs particularly adapted for'use as ,bulletinboards and has for its objects the following: a novel and serviceable indicia holder sustained within the frame 'of a bulletin board,the holder characterizing a tortuous body having elongated channel shaped members or superimposed ribs defining juxtapositioned lips for removably clamping indicia members for appropriate display; a practical and useful indicia holder of the type alluded to but of relatively thin and-translucent material and sufliciently resilient for removably sustaining a plurality of indicia members; an improved and simplified display device wherein the tortuous indicia holder is of a suitable plastic tially positioning spaced tabs or flanges of the indicia members prior toclamping thereof by pairs of juxtapositioned lips of the superimposed ribs. Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the teachings of the following detailed description considered in the light of the accompanying drawing wherein: c

Fig. 1 is an elevational and partly broken view of the display device according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the tortuous indicia holder.

Fig. 4 is a'modified fragmentary view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of a modified indicia holder.

Fig. 6 illustrates the display device mounted in front of an illuminator, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an indicia member.

Illustrative of the embodiments disclosed the indicia holder generally denoted III is arranged within the hollow frame or support F and in front of a translucent backing plat II, which prevents buckling of or side sway indicia holder III, the latter according to Fig. 3 having a one piece tortuous body which may be of a resilient sheet metal or of relative thin plastic and translucent material. This tortuous body includes superimposed channel shaped elements or ribs broadly designated C each having a front wall I4 and rearwardly extending upper and lower walls I5 and I6, wall I5 being substantially horizontal while the upper wall I6 inclines, sloping downwall I I and the lower wall I5 merges with the rear wall I! of theassociated and adjacent but lower channel shaped member C; the arrangement being such that the-superimposed channel shaped elements may be said to constitute a plurality of hollow ribs having juxtapositioned cooperating curved corner lips I8 and I9 defining flared estuaries orstriations 20.

Normally lips I8 and I9 according to the form illustrated in Figs. 1-4 are yieldingly in contact although a leaf spring 2| secured tothe top wall of the frame has its curved wings urged against the top wall I5 of the tortuous indicia holder to supplement the normal and-inherent lip closing action of theholder, namely, with no indicia held between the pairs-of lips, the latter are continuously in contact, the top wall I5 of the holder being in fact aseat forthewings of spring 2I-, .thus constantly applying a downwardly directed force against the indicia holder which is I seated on the bottom wall of the frame and bethe form illustrated in Fig. 5; lips I8 and III of the ribs C are normally separated but when arranged in the frame, they are held yieldingly closed by the leaf spring 2| and except for this fact the form according to, Fig. 5 is along the lines of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4.

The indicia member 23.0f the type shown in Fig. 7 may be employed in connection with anyone of the tortuous holders hereinbefore specifically described, and each indicium member is characterized by the upper and lower flanges or tabs 24. To mount an indicium member on the holder, tabs 24 are merely inserted into striations 20 and between pairs of lips I8 and I9, thus causing these to separate slightly against the resistance of the spring 2| and inherent resiliency of the tortuous holder. Therefore although an indicium member closely straddles a single channel shaped element or rib C or two of these elements as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the indicia elements are held removably clamped and thus may be conveniently removed when desired by relatively light finger pressure.

Where a tab 24 of an indicium member 23 is inserted between a pair of lips, the wall I5 of the next upper rib and the wall I4 are tilted slightly on the integrally merged hinges 25. The same is true of the form shown in Fig. 4 and of wardly and rearwardly and merges with the rear .the embodiment illustrated in Fig, 5 wh mounted within the frame F and operated upon by the leaf spring 2|.

As shown in Fig. 6 the frame F of the indicia display device is mounted on a support S and lies against a rest panel B and an incandescent lamp L is disposed in back of the display device and since backing plate II and the tortuous indicia holder are translucent these members light up the indicia 23 and hence the latter are set ofi in contrast to be readily viewed. If desired of course, the tortuous holder may be of opaque material in which instant light is directed on the front face of the frame for viewing the-indicia characters. Also if desired backing plate ll may be eliminated since the operation of the tortuous holder is independent of the backing plate although if the latter be employed slight buckling is prevented but even though buckling may exist where the backing is not utilized, the tortuous holder appropriately acts to sustain and grip the indicia members and in every instance where they are removed from the resilient ribs the lips of these ribs automatically are restored to their normal contracting relation. 4

As many changes could be made in the above described construction and many widely different species or structural embodiments could be devised without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter hereinbefore described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A display device adapted to removably sustain indicia members comprising a one piece resilient tortuous body defining a channel shaped holder including a plurality of substantially triangularly shaped cross sectional units characterizing superimposed ribs, each of said ribs having a front vertical wall and rearwardly extending upper and lower walls at least one of whichis inclined in respect to the other and defining with said front wall upper and lower comer lips, the lower corner lips of said units being disposed contiguous the upper corner lips of the next successive units of said plurality to removably and yieldingly clamp said indicia members, a frame surrounding said body, and spring means within said frame and cooperating with the upper end of said body for urging said upper and lower lips towards each other.

2. A display device adapted to removably sustain indicia members comprising a one piece resilient tortuous body defining a channel shaped holder including a plurality of substantially triangularly shaped cross sectional units characterizing superimposed ribs; each of said ribs having a front vertical wall, a rearwardly extending upper and inclined wall on a bias in respect to said vertical wall and defining therewith an upper corner lip, a rearwardly extending substantially horizontally arranged wall defining with said front wall a lower corner lip; the lower corner lips of said units being disposed contiguous to and yieldingly in contact with the upper corner lips of the next successive units of said plurality to removably clamp said indicia members, a frame surrounding said body, and spring means within said frame and acting on the upper end of said body for urging said upper and lower lips towards each other.

3. A display device adapted to removably sustain indicia members comprising a one piece hollow resilient tortuous body defining a channel shaped holder including a plurality of substantially triangularly shaped cross sectional units characterizing superimposed and relatively elongated ribs; each of said ribs having a front vertical wall, a rearwardly extending upper and inclined wall on a bias in respect to and integral with said vertical wall and defining therewith an upper corner lip, a rearwardly extending substantially horizontally arranged wall integral with said vertical wall and defining therewith a lower corner lip; the lower comer lips of said units being disposed contiguous to and yieldingly in contact with the upper corner lips of the next successive units of said plurality to removably clamp in said indicia members, a frame surrounding said body, and a leaf spring within said frame and acting on said body for urging said HOWARD BARRY. 

